Definitions for Tsunamitsʊˈnɑ mi

Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word Tsunami.

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tsunami(noun)

a cataclysm resulting from a destructive sea wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption

"a colossal tsunami destroyed the Minoan civilization in minutes"

Wiktionary(2.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

tsunami(Noun)

A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption.

Origin: 津波 / 津浪 (つなみ).

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Tsunami

A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, generally an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions, landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami.
Tsunami waves do not resemble normal sea waves, because their wavelength is far longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide, and for this reason they are often referred to as tidal waves. Tsunamis generally consist of a series of waves with periods ranging from minutes to hours, arriving in a so-called "wave train". Wave heights of tens of metres can be generated by large events. Although the impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal areas, their destructive power can be enormous and they can affect entire ocean basins; the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history with over 230,000 people killed in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.